


with a taste of nectar upon his lips

by insertcleveracejoke



Series: Hadestown AU -- Let the Fates create a happy ending [24]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Artist Virgil, Fluff, Hadestown AU, M/M, Modern world, Technically An Epilogue, famous singer Roman, i really fucking loved writing this epilogue not gonna lie, my soul has been healed writing this, so much love guys, that might be something I'll explore later maybe, they have been gay for years my dudes, this happens like over a hundred years after the last part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-29 23:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17817896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertcleveracejoke/pseuds/insertcleveracejoke
Summary: The Underworld would never be exactly like the surface- nor did Logan and Virgil wish it would be- but it was much more pleasant to stay in now.





	with a taste of nectar upon his lips

**Author's Note:**

> If I were you, I'd read It Was A Garden First and The King's Crown (both in this same series) again before reading this part, because there are some references, but it's not absolutely necessary.

(It had been a garden first.)

The king's crown drank what light there was around him as he hurried to the gates, too excited to think of just convincing reality that he was already in this destination and going too fast to anything but drag his companion by the hand.

The new crown was a small, dark thing made of a strange metal found only in the Underworld that had all but its calming presence and its more delicate appearance in common with Logan's first one. Patton still didn't like it much, but Roman had said that a king without a crown didn't make much sense, and Virgil had been the one to create the design, star eyes brightening as he showed them the first sketch. In the end, seeing Logan's childlike smile with the crown in his hands, Patton couldn't help but to give up on ever getting it out of him. It wasn't like the crown was hurting anyone. And- as Logan thought, the shadows of the trees that hadn't graced the land of the dead for thousands of years following him- both of them had gotten quite better at compromising over the years.

They had been forced to, after everything that had happened, and Logan was glad they had. Life felt so much lovelier when there weren't fights.

(It had been a garden first.)

(First had come the flowers, blossoming in the darkest of places because of Patton's defiance of his father's control over him, because of his love for flowers, because of his curiosity. First had come roses.)

Shadows and light danced around each other in this new version of the Underworld. There were now tall, gorgeous trees with black bark and colorful flowers that gave the town beauty and fresh air- they would have been Patton's masterpiece, were it not for the countless new bushes of beautiful flowers and other plants that offered usefulness and aesthetic. 

There was much more laughter now in this less sterile world. Nymphs, minor deities and ghosts alike lived more freely, Patton's kindness not hidden anymore. Medicine had advanced enough in the surface that, if done fast enough, there was no harm in a few good souls coming back. And so many religions believed in reincarnations, anyway…

(Later had come the metal, the iron, the steel, the wires buried deep in the ground and held high in the sky. Later had come the renewable energy and the beauty of science that worried about nature.)

Most of the mines had been either closed or had the work there done by what used to be divine power but, in these modern times, were now mechanical- Logan had always been fond of robots and droids. He had cried when the red planet's little one broke. She had been fixed in less than a month, after that.

The Underworld would never be exactly like the surface- nor did Logan and Virgil wish it would be- but it was much more pleasant to stay in now.

Logan still rushed, though, Virgil laughing at his hurry, because half of the life and soul of his realm was waiting in the gates for them and patience had never really been his choice.

"Slow down, they're not going anywhere", Virgil laughed, keeping up with his pace but only barely. Human bodies wouldn't have been able to. Logan made it feel like they were traveling from shadow to shadow less than running through them.

"It's two weeks early! Who knows if they will!"

Virgil did. It wasn't just one of their visits- Roman and Patton would have called before, if it was.

"Why, hello there", Roman purred with a sly grin when the two of them finally reached the gates, neither of them panting despite the fact that they had run through the entire city. The man didn't acknowledge that.

Roman looked better than ever- tanned skin, broad shoulders straining a red t-shirt with the design of a shiny golden crown on it -Logan was sure he thought he was being very funny, something soft and fond in his eyes as he looked at the two of them. The- what was its name again?- jeans he wore certainly did not look bad, either. Virgil and Logan shared a quick knowing glance at each other. Roman had taken to the modern fashion pretty quickly, liking especially the variety of it. He still preferred clothes in shades of red, though, and Logan suspected he always would. Logan also suspected that the only reason why the singer ever bought hoodies was to make it easier for the other three to steal them. He pretended not to see the black one around his waist. That would soon be his.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Patton was smiling widely at the two of them. As always, his skin looked darker after the months in the sun, freckles showing more than they would for the rest of the winter, his smile just that little brighter, no trace of the sadness Logan had forced himself to get used to for thousands of years. He had apparently replaced his old dress with a teal skirt that didn't look half bad. The blue shirt he wore had the new flowers of the Underworld embroidered, and Logan felt such fondness and love for his husbands that he couldn't believe it all fit in his chest.

So many years had passed. Everything had changed around them, not as the starry sky changed during the year, or the trees died and came back to life, or how the lakes froze all over. The changes were so human. Simply that- even though no one of them was human anymore, and two of them probably had never truly been, this was of human nature. To change, and to change your actions, for the sake of somebody who is willing to change with you. 

This was so human. To love. 

(First it had been two gods, falling in love with each other and clashing because of the things they believed in and their stubborn ways.)

"You're early", he whispered.

It wasn't the first time they were, but it didn't happen often even now. Patton and Roman had started to- not love the Underworld, not exactly, but to feel fond of it, to see the importance of its wellbeing in Logan's eyes and to see the claim they had on those people, on that ground that had once been as dead as the ones who lived on it. They had made so much grow where nothing once had. It was hard to let it go, and they didn't need to.

Roman and Patton didn't always leave together for the surface, though. Sometimes Virgil accompanied them, or Roman stayed behind. Much, much more rarely, Logan stayed behind by himself. He was never lonely now, though. Not really.

(Then had come two humans who hadn't known how easier life felt when you didn't hide your heart from the people you loved.)

Patton and Roman shared a look and smiled. The god of spring stepped closer, both of his chubby, warm hands coming up to rest on Logan's cheeks. His smile was so much brighter than when they met. Still so much brighter than in the years they wasted fighting. Logan couldn't help but smile too.

"We missed you", Patton said.

The king let out a shaky laugh and rested his forehead against the other god's. 

"I'm flattered. How was the surface?"

Roman, already with an arm around Virgil's waist, grinned. "As beautiful as ever, even though, of course, it could never hope to rival any of you", he dropped a quick kiss on Virgil's hair and the nymph smiled, leaning on him with the familiarity of someone who had spent more than a hundred of years listening to that man flirt. "There are some mortals who are onto me, I think. They keep finding old portraits and pictures of Patton and I and making jokes about me being immortal. Never do seem to find Virgil, though."

"That would be because I'm smart enough to keep the ones with me on it either on me or here", Virgil said. "You'd think you'd know to do that, as famous as you are."

"Listen, I've been out there for over a hundred years now, it's not like I can just go back to every place I've ever graced with my image and-"

"You've been immortal for years, you literally could, what, like it's hard-"

(Neither meant the other wasn't necessary or wrong.)

Patton chuckled, arms around Logan's neck. "You'd think they are still humans, with how much they bicker."

"You say that because you've never had to listen to Zeus and Hera in their meetings."

"Ugh, those two, still using the old names. Fighting all the time, too. We were never that bad even in our worst days."

"Nah, I think we were pretty lucky", Logan agreed. He smiled and kissed one of Patton's most prominent freckles. "I love you. Thanks for sticking around, love."

"I love you, too. Always will."

(That gardens and metal can't exist together. That gods and those who used to be humans can't love each other.)

"Hey, are you two being cute without us?", Roman whined, a few steps away.

Logan threw his head back and laughed, gesturing with a hand. They didn't hesitate to come closer and drap themselves all over the other two, hands coming up to rest on waists and shoulders, lips meeting skin and mouths in fleeting, fond kisses. 

"Don't worry, songbird. There's love enough here to go around."

"There would better be", Virgil said. He kissed their husband's cold cheek and smiled up at his crown. "Still wearing that old thing?"

"What can I say? I have an use for it, and it does look good on me, doesn't it?"

Patton smiled fondly. "It does."

(It had been a garden first.)

(It still, somewhere in its heart and soul, was.)


End file.
